Baltimore's Inner Harbor is a beautiful sight until visitors stumble upon trash and other pollution. But trash in the harbor and in other waterways like the Jones Falls isn't the only factor leading to the "F" grade in the 2013 report card that was released Wednesday.

"I would say that none of the streams in Baltimore City or the harbor were safe for human contact or recreation throughout," said Adam Lindquist of the Health Harbor Initiative.

Officials said the report, which was backed by Blue Water Baltimore and The Waterfront Partnership, is the most comprehensive to date. Covering streams for the first time, it includes testing sites from 360 square miles of area streams, the harbor and tidal Patapsco River, all the way to the Chesapeake Bay.

"All of those water bodies have received a failing grade this year for water quality," Lindquist said.

"We're using bottles to sample the water and taking them to EPA-certified labs for analysis, and also we're using scientifically rigorous instrumentation to collect readings," said Baltimore harbor water keeper David Flores.

What they found was high levels of bacteria that were the result of storm water runoff, aging infrastructure and trash.

"(There were) 30 times the number of colonies of bacteria that are the state standard for safe contact. So, there are several locations where routinely we would go out during dry weather, and even after storms, and the levels of bacteria would be dangerously high," Flores said.

Healthy Harbor partners have outlined an aggressive plan to make the Maryland waterways fishable and swimmable by 2020. Officials said they believe it's still possible thanks, in part, to a storm water fee in the city and stepped up trash collection methods.

"Earlier this year they started sweeping every street in the city. They'll be installing more inlet streams, which prevent trash from flowing into storm drains. The Waterfront Partnership earlier this month installed a water wheel trash interceptor down at the Inner harbor, which is capable of capturing 50,000 pounds of trash every day," Lindquist said.

"I think that citizens are really part of the solution here. Blue Water Baltimore has been working with citizens to green their yards, put in rain gardens and green roofs. Churches and faith-based institutions are digging in, so it's not just government. It really is everybody pulling together and being part of the solution," said Halle Vandergaag, the executive director of Blue Water Baltimore.

A FAILING GRADE IS WHAT THE BALTIMORE WATERWAYS GOT IN THE LATEST REPORT CARD. FOR THE FIRST TIME, STREAMS WERE TESTED FOR WATER QUALITY. JENNIFER FRANCIOTTI HAS MORE. A BEAUTIFUL SCENE UNTIL YOU SEE THIS. TRASH IS NOT THE ONLY FACTOR LEADING TO A FAILING GRADE IN THE 2000 13 HEALTHY HARBOR REPORT CARD RELEASED WEDNESDAY. I WOULD SAY NONE OF THE STREAMS AND BALTIMORE CITY OR THE HARVARD WERE SAFE FOR HUMAN CONTACT OR RECREATION. THE REPORT BACKED BY BLUEWATER BALTIMORE IS THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE -- COMPREHENSIVE TO DATE. IT INCLUDES TESTING SITES FROM 300 SQUARE MILES AND THE HARBOR IN THE RIVER ALL THE WAY TO THE CHESAPEAKE DAY. ALL OF THE WATER BODIES HAVE RECEIVED A FAILING GRADE FOR WATER QUALITY. TAKING THEM TO EPA CERTIFIED LABS AND USING SCIENTIFICALLY RIGOROUS INSTRUMENTATION TO COLLECT READINGS. THEY FOUND HIGH LEVELS OF BACTERIA. AGING INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRASH. 30 TIMES THE NUMBER OF COLONIES IS THE STATE STANDARD FOR STATE CONTACT. SO THERE IS SEVERAL LOCATIONS WHERE ROUTINELY HE WOULD GO OUT AND DRY WEATHER AND STORMS AND THE LEVELS OF BACTERIA TO BE DANGEROUSLY HIGH. OUTLINING AN AGGRESSIVE PLAN TO MAKE MARYLAND WATERWAYS FISHABLE AND FLAMMABLE BY 2020. OFFICIALS BELIEVE IT IS STILL POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF THE STORM WATER METHOD AND STEPPED UP TRASH COLLECTION METHODS. EARLIER THIS YEAR THEY STARTED SWEEPING EVERY STREET IN THE CITY. WATERFRONT PARTNERSHIP INSTALLED A WATERWHEEL TRASH INTERCEPTOR. IT IS CAPABLE OF CATCHING 50 POUNDS OF TRASH EVERY DAY. BLUEWATER BALTIMORE HAS BEEN WORKING WITH CITIZENS TO GREEN THEIR WATER -- THEIR YARDS. IT IS NOT JUST GOVERNMENT.